Port Douglas house prices have risen by more than 20 per cent in the past year, far outstripping average price rises across both country Queensland and the nation, according to the latest housing data released this week.

The median price for a house in the premium Far North Queensland town is now $1.2m, up 20.3 per cent from the same time last year, based on the sale of 50 homes in the past 12 months listed on realestate.com.au.

In stark contrast, Port Douglas unit prices have actually gone down by 3.1 per cent across the past year to a median of $390,000, based on 245 sales.

The latest PropTrack data, also released this week, shows the average home price of Queensland units and houses combined outside of Brisbane has gone up 13 per cent to $790,000.

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Nationally, median home prices went up 8.4 per cent to a new all-time record high of about $880,000.

Agent Travis Schumacher, of Raine and Horne, said the demand for housing in the region had picked up quickly following the Christmas break.

“I’m pleasantly surprised to see how strong the market is,” Mr Schumacher said.

“The inquiry level has been quite strong.”

He said there had been a range of inquiries from both locals and people wanting to move here, including semi-retirees and families.

The stronger demand for houses could be put down to a variety of factors, he said.

“People still love to have their own block of land, everyone loves a pet, plus they keep away from the body corporates,” he said.

“People still love the residential side of things.”